Students show off projects at annual countywide science fair

Science students with their project boards filled the Expo Center at the Flathead County Fairgrounds Thursday as students from schools across the county gathered for the annual countywide science fair.

Glacier Gateway fifth grader Barrett Maiden said he’s never had a speaker to play music, which prompted his idea for his science fair project — a paper plate speaker that projects sound.

Edgerton Elementary fifh grader Raelynn Keller’s project compared which household cleaning spray would kill bacteria the most effectively. Pledge Multi-Surface Cleaner beat out all other cleaners and disproved her original theory.

Edgerton Elementary fourth grader Avery Lacey won the fourth grade biological category with her project “Can Exercise Make Our Bodies Work Better?” She also won a health science award from Logan Health. She said she won at her school last year but wasn’t able to attend the county science fair, but returned this year because of her love for science.

“I’m doing it again next year because I love science and I love making projects,” Lacey said.

Linden from Flathead High School was one of two high schoolers at the fair. Linden said his project, “Spaced Out Music: The Effect of Distance on Sound Delay,” was created to show his band teacher that being outside doesn’t affect how a performer hears their instrument (to a noticeable degree). His project won grand in his category.

Seventh grader Josie Olszewski from St. Matthew’s Catholic School won grand in the seventh grade physical category with her project “Hot Potato” that tested which type of potato would make the best potato battery— certain metals experience a chemical reaction with the acids inside of the potato and creates the electrical energy. She said she enjoys science and possibly wants to pursue it when she is older.

“My brother is a big inspiration for me, he goes to college in Florida but he is really into science and I think I could go somewhere with science,” Olszewski said.

Students are eligible to win prize money that increases as they move through the ranks, meaning if they made it to the national science fair they could win up to $250,000.

Flathead County Science Fair Results:

3rd Grade Model or Demonstration:

Grand: Abigail Andrasko, Edgerton Elementary “How Waves Form”

Grand: Leise Conner, Edgerton Elementary “How Do Hot Air Balloons Rise”

Grand: Harseerat Sohi, Edgerton Elementary, “Waste Water Treatment Plant”

Reserve: Roy Dettweiler, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Geologic Rocks”

Reserve: Ryland Lennick, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “M&M Survival”

3rd Grade Biological:

Grand: Howard Fullerton, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Effects of Different Food Types on Crayfish Growth and Weight”

Reserve: Nash Schaeffer, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Wrestlers and Bacteria”

3rd Grade Physical:

Grand: Owen Grace, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “King of the Wood”

Grand: Mia Lengacher & Wyllis Myer, Kalispell Montessori, “Food Magic”

Reserve: Masen Reithmeier, Edgerton Elementary, “When Science is Sweet”

Reserve: Clinton Dabb, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Wood Strength for Bridges”

Reserve: Phoenix Nelson, Lacey Sieler, & Ingrid Aiken, Kalispell Montessori, “The Heat of Colors”

4th Grade Model or Demonstration:

Grand: Lily Dotter, Edgerton Elementary, “How has Climate Change affected the Flathead Valley”

Reserve: Kyla Raymond, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “How Snowflakes are Formed”

4th Grade Biological:

Grand: Avery Lacy, Edgerton Elementary, “Can Exercise Make Our Bodies Work Better”

Reserve: Josephine Hackethorn, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Which Way Grows Best?”

4th Grade Physical:

Grand: Sadie Berkram, Edgerton Elementary, “Citric Acid and Baking Soda”

Reserve: Addison Holloway & Landon Travis, Kalispell Montessori, “Fruit Battery”

5th Grade Biological:

Grand: Margaret Fullerton, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “The Effects of Roadside Dust on Tree Growth”

Reserve: Ayla Mosher & Vayda Kauffman, Kalispell Montessori, “Colorful Plants”

5th Grade Physical:

Grand: Kaden Grant, Ruder Elementary, “Potato Power”

Grand: Cadence McMullin, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Humpty Dumpty”

Reserve: Charlotte Brents, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Burning Calories”

6th Grade Biological

Grand: Jacob Linden, Kalispell Middle School, A Tale of Two Teas: Meillisa

Reserve: Matthew Bliven, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Filter Away”

Reserve: Harper Holloway and Nevé Travis, Kalispell Montessori, “Bacteria Buster”

6th Grade Physical:

Grand: Meah Koppes, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “The Science Behind Cookies”

Grand: Lander Heino, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Stuck on You”

Reserve: Sylvia Blair, Kalispell Montessori, “Fly Birdy!”

Reserve: Kellan Manning, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Mouse Trap Missiles”

7th Grade Biological:

Grand: Asher Stanfield, Kalispell Middle School, “Winter Birds and Their Feed Preferences”

Reserve: Lilyanna Hutcheson, Madeline Neumann, Trinity Lutheran, “Bacteria Be Gone

7th Grade Physical:

Grand: Josie Olszewski, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Hot Potato”

Grand: Noah Elliot, Trinity Lutheran, “The Great Dishwasher Soap Debate”

Grand: Maxx Desjarlais, Trinity Lutheran, “Chocolate Factory”

Grand: Logan Schwartz, Trinity Lutheran, “What Fuels the Fire”

Reserve: Charlotte Young, Trinity Lutheran, “The Neverending Battery”

Reserve: Nicholas Follmuth, Homeschool, “The Hammering Force”

Reserve: Madeline Edlund & Chloe Wirth, Trinity Lutheran, “Mineral Mayhem”

Reserve: Audrey Dartez, Trinity Lutheran, “The Deflated Distance”

8th Grade Biological:

Grand: Lahna Thom, Trinity Lutheran, “Be Smart Don’t Start”

Grand: Teagen Flint, Deer Park, “Do Different Dilutions of Disinfectants Affect Bacterial Resistance?

Reserve: Selah Piedemonte, Trinity Lutheran, “The Best Water for Plants”

Reserve: Tim Zundel, Evergreen Jr. High School, “Fontative Thinking”

8th Grade Physical:

Grand: Madison Corman-Berg, Smith Valley, “Levitating Orb”

Grand: Bella Maestas, Trinity Lutheran, “Lyte Levels”

Grand: Emily Lockhart, Trinity Lutheran, “Zap That Wire”

Reserve: Olivia Hagemeier, Trinity Lutheran, “Pitch Perfect”

Reserve: Owen Thiel, Trinity Lutheran, “Fly By”

Reserve: Rachel Eberhart, Trinity Lutheran, “Picture Perfect”

Reserve: Emily Higgs, Evergreen Jr. High, “Sketch and Shade”

Middle School Engineering

Grand: Hailey Fiala, Kalispell Middle School, “The Zebra Mussel Exterminator”

Reserve: Ruby Hadley, Smith Valley, “Electric Motors”

High School

Grand: Dyson Linden, Flathead High School, “Spaced Out Music: The Effect of Distance on Sound Delay”

Reserve: Keanu Ng, Flathead High School, “The Effect of Wildfire Ash on the Growth of Algae”

Special Awards

Outdoor Ecology Awards:

Sportsman Ski Haus: Anna Pickering, 7th grade, Trinity Lutheran

Audubon Wildlife Conservation: Asher Stanfield, 7th grade, Kalispell Middle School

Flathead Lake Bio Station: Hailey Fiala, 6th grade, Kalispell Middle School; Logan Schwartz, 7th grade, Trinity Lutheran; Sela Piedmonte, 8th grade, Trinity Lutheran.

Most Artistic Board

Stumptown: Emily Higgs, 8th grade, Evergreen Jr. High

Montana Modern Fine Art: Josephine Hackethorne, 4th grade, Glacier Gateway Elementary

Kalico: Kyla Raymond, 4th grade, Edgerton

Health Science Award

Logan Health: Avery Lacy, 4th grade, Edgerton

Logan Health: Harper Holloway and Nevé Travis, 6th grade, Kalispell Montessori

Outdoor Courses:

Glacier Institute 3-8: Margaret Fullerton, 5th grade, Glacier Gateway Elementary

Glacier Institute HS: Keanu Ng, 10th grade, Flathead High School

FVCC: Kaden Grant, 5th grade, Ruder Elementary

Best Energy Related

Flathead Electric: Emily Lockhart, 8th grade, Trinity Lutheran

Imagination Award

Imagination Station: Abigail Andresko, 3rd grade, Edgerton

Flathead STEAM Alliance- All around STEAM awards:

3-5: Margaret Fullerton, 5th grade, Glacier Gateway Elementary

6-8: Hailey Fiala, 8th grade, Kalispell Middle School

HS: Keanu Ng, 10th grade, Flathead High School